Fruit gatherer



Mar. 13, 1923.

FRUIT GATHERER.

FILED MAR. 18 1921.

2 'sHEFTs-SHEET x.

Mar. 13, 1923.

M. BLUM.

FRUIT GATHERER.

,FILED MAR. 1s. 192|.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

net shown in Figure 5.

Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

onirEo sTALTEsA MATY BLUM, or CHICAGO, rumors.'

FRUIT YeA'rHnRnn.

Application led March 18,1921. Serial No. 453,262. l

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, MAT BLUM, a citizen ofthe United States, andaresident of the city of Chicago, in the county of-,Cookiand State ofIllinois,-have invented-a -certain l new and useful Fruit Gatherer; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to theaccompanying drawing, and to the numeralsof reference marked thereon,which form a tion.

It is the object of my invention to provide a net for catching fruit asit falls vfrom a part of this specificatree, said net surrounding thetree and sup-v ported beneath the same in such vmanner that the fruit asit falls thereintovwill roll by gravity to a point of discharge 'withoutdanger of bruising the fruit. l The invention (in a preferred form) isillustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described. v i fOn the drawings: I y Figure 1 is a view of a tree showing a section ofthe net forming part of myvinvention secured beneath the same.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the net. Y Figure 3 is a plan view upon anenlarged scale of the junction of the net and `one `of the spouts. I I vFigure 4 is an edge view of one ofthe spouts. j f

Figure 5 is a view of the means forattaching the inner edge of the netto the trunk of thetreeshowing a section of a part ofl thev net. -v

Figure Gis a plan viewof anp-art ofthe Figure 7 is a section showing theportion of the fastening means for the adjacent edges' of two parts ofthe net. Y f

Figure 8 is another section of the same pair of edges. j

Figure 9 is an edge View, and Figure 10 a front view of one of thebraces used to'support the outer edge of the net.

Figure 1l is a section upon the line 11-11 of Figure 10. Y j

F'gure 12 is a View of the instrument used to remove the fruit from thetree. j

Figure 13 is a detail partly in section showing a joint in Figure 12.

As shown on the drawings:V 1n practicing this invention I supply a net 1which is to surround the trunk of a tree and be extended underneath thesame.

ries.

The net has a central open-ing kZithrough -Whlch when the net vis inuse'the trunk of the tree extends. The net is made of'two pori f tions3v and 4:,each of which is a complete semi-circle except for a;semicircular notch 'i making part'ofthe central i'ipening'f.` vThevouter edge ofthe net-'i'sfreinforcedfbya hofop-I 5 which may be inone-complete"circularv piece'or may be in two piecesto "go withthe twohalves of the net as is desired. At suite f able points Varound this'Ahoop are secured The vstraight edges ofthe two" halves loops 6. The hoopis shown asoffa'rigid` Inacerral but it may be of any desired matev'riaof the net are also reinforced'by rodsor ropes 7` and 8.L `The ropesTand 8 may be continued around the edge vrof the' opening 2 as shown at7 and 8 or'other reinforcing means f or thelbase may be used.

A suitable padding 50 is preferably' sei cured between the" ropes 7 iand 8 and the 'tree trunk to prevent injury theretoi- Secured' abouttheropes 7 and8 ,are a number of hooks 10, each of which includes a ring 9completely surrounding one of these'v ropes and a hook `llhookingoverthe other rope.y

These ihooks are arranged alternately irst withithe ring on'theropeandthe next with the ring on the rope 8 so that the twoy halves of thenetrpresent'a `series of hooks 11, to be engaged over therope upon `theotherhalf and' they hooks in :one series-come midways between the'hooks/in the'other sey Secured to theflreinforcementh, 8 i about theedgesof the openingl2 his a series lof loops 12 through Which'thestrapl'may I be'threaded.` The ends of thestrap ca'n'be'V buckledljtogether.as shown at'l with the strap invrplace around the trunk of the tree.

is reinforced by' ropes y15 and. 16 which "are LAt right angles to theropes 7 andS- thenet secured at their outer ends to the reinforcement 5adjacent the loops'.` If' the reinforcement 5 is formed of rigidmaterial four? loops 6, as shown, will'be suihcient, but,l if saidreinforcement is formedof flexible material, such as heavy-rope, it maybenecessaryto increase the number of loops 6 prop-v` erly to maintainthe 'circular contour ofthe device.

Between the radial reinforcing ropes iat that point where,- when thelnetis in: place,v it Will be lowest,.there areholesin the netbe= neatheach of which hangs a spout 17.. Each l of these holes is surrounded` bya reinforce ment 18 and the vtop of each spout has a fre-Q c* brace isprovided with a flange 24 largel overlap and slotted and provided withbolts as clearly-indicated in Figures 9 and 10 forsecuringv these twohalves together inoverlapping relation. The upper end of the enough toprevent the loop 6 from descending the brace. Above the fiange 24 ktheend of the brace projects as shown at 25 to pass through the loop 6..'Ihe lower en d 26-of each brace is sharpened so that'it may thrustinto the ground' to insure against the brace slipping. To each of theparts 25 above the loop 6 a rope 27 isattached. The other end of each ofthese ropes is yattached to a stake driven into the ground beyond thebrace from which this rope runs.

Used with this net is an instrument shown in Figure 12 consisting of apadded hook 31 at the end of a straight piece 30 which may belengthened' by additional pieces 32 secured thereto. They joint betweenthese pieces or between the first of them and the.

piece 30 is of the familiar screw and` socket type having a screw 33secured to one piece' and the socket 34 into which the screw is threadedformed in the .other piece.

The operation isas follows:

The net 1 when taken from. its storage z place has the hooks 10unfastened either along the whole diameter or along one radius thereof.If all of these hooksare fas.

tened' the first operation yis tov unfasten the hooks along one-.half ofthe diameter. The

net is then placed around the treeby means of this radial opening. Theinnertedge of the net is then raisedr to the desired heightl at the treetrunk and the strap'k 13 buckled around' the tree. The-hooks 10 are thenreengaged so that the'radial opening is closed. The -braces 21 are thenengaged in the loops 6; their pointedy ends 26 are thrust into theground somewhat nearer to the tree than the edge of the net is to be;and the length of the braces is adjusted' until the height of the edgeof the net is at the point desired. The

ropes 27 are then attached to the upper endsl 25 of the Abraces and tothe stakes 28 .which are driven into the ground still further from.

the tree. The ropes 27 are then tightened.`

until the net is securely fastened vin place. A basket is then placed`under each spout 17.

If it is desired that the fruit should ripen.

on the tree until -it falls either by the wind or through other naturalprocess, the net: is left in this position during the harvest season. Ifit is intended that the fruit should all bev gathered' at one time theinstrument 30 is used to detach the fruit from the treev by means of thehook 31, the padding on the h ook preventing injury to the tree or tothe fruit. The fruit when so detached falls and lands in the netV 1. Itrolls down the net to the lowermost portion thereof and then enters aspout 17 through which it passes into its basket'.

By referring to the drawings it will bei seen that my improvedconstruction-provides a plurality of separatevfruit receiving sectors,each provided with a discharge p spout at its lowermost point, and whilethe incline fromthe outer edge of the net inward and downward is gradualuntil the spouts 17 are reached, said incline upward therefrom`tOWardthe tree trunk is much more abrupt. rIhus, fruit falling from thetree will roll down the long sloping part of the net, but will lbechecked by the upward inclined central portion, and will be guidedquickly and certainly into its spout. l

When it is desired to remove the net the ropes 27 are first-removed;then the loops 6 are removed from the ends 25 of the braces. The hooks10 through one-half of the diameterv are then detached and the buckle1&1 opened. The net is then removed from` the tree and folded up and thebraces telescoped to a length convenient for storing. The net is thenfoldedy and the'whole packed away. If desired, for packing, the spouts17 may be unhooked from the edges 18 leaving a smooth net as the articleto be folded. f

I am aware that numerousdetails of construction may be varied through awide range without departing from the principles of `this invention, andI therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted votherwise thannecessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention 1. In a fruit gatherer,.a` net, means forsupporting the periphery ofthe net, means adapted `to be secured to t-hetrunk of a tree for supporting the central part .of the net, theperipheral portion of the net being' supported higher than the centralportion,and radial reenforcing means extending from the centralsupporting means to the peripheral supporting means and dividing the netinto sectors,` said reenforcing means pre- Venting the` peripheralsupporting means from distorting the net `radially, saidnet sagging ineach sector thereof, and said sectors incliningy gradually downward fromthe net edge toward the center and then rising abruptl to said center.

2. In a; ruit gatherer, a net, means'for supporting the vperiphery ofthe net, means adapted' to be'secured to the trunk of a tree forsupporting the central part of the net, radial reenforcing meansextending from the central supporting means to the peripheral supportingmeans andl dividing the net into sectors, said reenforclng means pre- 10edge toward the center and then rising abruptly to said center, and aspout opening into the net at the bottom of each sagging portion.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name inthe presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

MAT BLUM.r

Witnesses:

CARLTON HILL, JAMES M. OBnmN.

